Occupy Columbus wants a porta potty

Chase Leibold was the latest in a line of polite young men from Occupy Columbus to address the
Columbus City Council.

His mission of mercy this evening: To get permission to place a portable toilet on the sidewalk
outside the Statehouse, where protesters are making the voice of the 99 percent heard all day and
all night.

"Unfortunately, our Downtown is pretty dead at night," Leibold told the council members during
their regular Monday meeting. There are few places to use the facilities and it's unsafe to walk
off alone to find one, he said. Occupy would pay for the potty and would keep it locked, he said,
pointing out that a city in South Carolina sprung for a portable toilet for protesters there.

Asked by Councilwoman Michelle M. Mills to weigh in on whether a portable toilet is ok, Deputy
Safety Director Dan Giangardella said two other departments, Recreation and Parks and Public
Service, would likely have to sign off.

"Whether we're even able to permit that in a right-of-way situation is something we'd have to
talk to Service on," he said.

Leibold finished his comments with a plea on behalf of the protesters and their bladders: